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On 31 December 2011, an Australian tourist bungee-jumped off the Victoria Falls bridge at the Zambia-Zimbabwe border. At 111 meters, it’s one of the highest bungee jump in the world. She was the 105th person to jump that day. Everything leading up to the point of her jump appeared routine. And then, every thrill-seeker’s worst nightmare happened – the bungee chord snapped. She plunged into the raging Zambezi river below. Although she miraculously survived, it was a grim reminder of what could go wrong. To be fair to the company who run the bungee at Victoria Falls, it was the first such incident in 17 years of operations. Following the incident, a thorough investigation was conducted (apparently the strength of the chord was not as strong as it was meant to be) and additional safety measures were put in place. Within days, they were back in operations. And to demonstrate the improved safety measures, high profile jumpers including Zambia’s Minister of Tourism and Bear Grylls (of Man vs Wild fame) took the plunge. For those who are curious, here’s the YouTube link of that incident: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igt_PTi7EUM) – just don’t watch it if you plan on doing a jump any time soon.
Victoria Falls was on the itinerary of our trip. After reading about the incident, we did what any sane traveller would do – not jump. So we signed up for the Blaukrans Bridge bungee instead. At 216 meters (about 70-storeys high), it is nearly twice the height of the Victoria Falls Bridge and the highest bungee bridge in the world (list of highest bungee jumps in the world: http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/worlds-15-highest-bungee-jumping-sites-479316). Plus, it’s along the Garden Route – we had to drive cross the very same bridge on the way to Port Elizabeth from Cape Town. So we really had no excuse. Other than the fact that accidents do happen, of course.
It started out as mild anxiety that got progressively worse. We were making our way to the bridge from the lodge we were staying at nearby. The palpitations began when we caught our first glimpse of the bridge – arch-shaped, white and oh so high – the highest bridge in Africa. We spent a split second marvelling at the bridge before we remembered we were about to jump off it. The only comfort we got came from the jumpers who had just done the deed – they were walking off the bridge with bewildered, half-smiles on their faces.
To get to the jump off point at the middle of the bridge, we had to traverse a narrow metal walkway underneath the bridge. While it was completely sturdy, its floor is made of steel mesh which means we could see the 200+ meter drop right beneath our feet. That’s when the panic started. I had to keep my eyes forward, lest I freeze in my tracks out of fear.
The safety briefing was…well, brief. Loud up-tempo music was playing to get the adrenalin pumping. As well as our hearts. The crew asked us where we were from and when we replied “Malaysia”, they told us with full confidence that the chord that will be literally keeping us alive is made in Malaysia. We didn’t share their confidence.
There were 6 jumpers in our group. We were number 4 and 5. Within minutes, they were tying the bungee chord on to the feet of the first jumper – a big, tall European dude. And a few minutes after that, they did the customary “3, 2, 1, bungee!” countdown and he was gone. No time was wasted. After all, they do close to 200 jumps per day during peak season.
My turn came. I tried distracting myself by checking & re-checking my GoPro settings to ensure I capture my virgin bungee jump. Before I know it, my feet were strapped and 2 crew members were helping me to the edge of the bridge. I looked down and immediately regretted it. I kept my eyes forward after that. I was about to go into an all-out panic when the countdown started. Before any other thoughts could creep into my head, I jumped.
I don’t recall screaming. But the video later confirmed that I did. The first few moments of free fall were completely disorienting. And thrilling. Then the feeling of plunging to my doom set in. By this time, I felt the chord slowing my fall and that’s when I became aware again. The world was upside down by this time but only for a moment – coz then I realized I was being pulled back up by the elasticity of the chord and went into another free fall.
The whole thing lasted for a grand total of 5 seconds. It felt a lot longer. After I was done bouncing around, a member of the crew repelled down to get me. Altho I still had the presence of mind to keep the GoPro going throughout the “recovery” process, nobody was happier to have a solid ground beneath my feet again than me. I got back on the bridge just in time to see Siau-Wei jump off and go thru the exact same incredible experience.
Walking off the bridge after that, we had a bewildered, half smile on our faces.
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Grace Tan Wow I salute the both of you. I would never have done something like this! My heart is not strong enough!